WARREN — The city of Warren and city police officer Nicholas Carney have denied allegations of wrongdoing in a federal lawsuit filed by 33-year-old Brittany Watts, the woman arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse in September 2023 after experiencing a miscarriage at home.

The defendants’ answer, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, rejects claims of constitutional violations, malicious prosecution and emotional distress while asserting immunity defenses.

Judge Sara Lioi is presiding.

Watts’ lawsuit was initiated in January. She accuses Carney, the city and several medical providers of conspiring to falsely charge her with felony abuse of a corpse after she miscarried at 21 weeks in September 2023.

The case drew national attention and sparked debates over reproductive rights and law enforcement’s role in pregnancy outcomes.

In their nine-page response, attorneys for Warren and Carney denied nearly all allegations and stated they lacked sufficient information to confirm or rebut details of Watts’ claims. They admitted only to procedural facts, including that police responded to a hospital report of a home birth with uncertain fetal viability, conducted a consensual interview with Watts while she was hospitalized, and arrested her weeks later under a warrant.

The charges were dismissed in January 2024 after a grand jury declined to indict her.

The defendants asserted 14 affirmative defenses, including qualified immunity for Carney, lack of probable cause for claims and arguments that any harm to Watts was caused by “superseding” third parties. They also emphasized protections under Ohio’s sovereign immunity laws for government entities.

Watts’ lawsuit alleges that Carney and Warren police, aided by hospital staff, improperly interrogated her while she was recovering from a miscarriage at St. Joseph Warren Hospital, fabricated evidence, and pursued charges despite autopsy results confirming the fetus died in utero. She claims the ordeal subjected her to emotional trauma, public humiliation and a wrongful deprivation of liberty.

The city and Carney’s filing disputes these claims. They argue the detective’s actions were lawful and that the arrest followed a “probable cause” determination by a municipal court judge. They further contend that Watts’ medical providers, not law enforcement, were responsible for her treatment.

Meanwhile, Watts’ suit also targets St. Joseph Warren Hospital and staff, accusing them of violating federal emergency care laws by delaying critical treatment during her miscarriage and unlawfully sharing her medical information with police.

Those defendants have not yet filed responses in court.